Hagonoy - Philippine Coconut Authority

Information Bulletin on Biological
Control of ‘Hagonoy’
What is ‘Hagonoy’?
'Hagonoy' Chromolaena odorata (L.) King &
Robinson, is a weed belonging to the Asteraceae family
which has now become so common in the Philippines since
its introduction from South America through the country's
southern backdoor in the 1960's.
Why is 'hagonoy' an economically significant weed?
• It grows rapidly under any agricultural situations, in
cattle ranches, and under plantations;
• It is avoided by all livestock;
• It causes diarrhea when ingested or even fetal deaths
among cows.
• It reduces the carrying capacity of the field to grow
more beneficial weeds
How is it controlled?
• ‘Hagonoy’ is commonly controlled by slashing,
burning, rolling and herbicide spray. These methods
normally are time consuming labor intensive and often
expensive.
How did 'hagonoy' attain its weed status?
• As an introduced weed, its natural enemies (herbivores)
were left behind in its place of origin thereby allowing
it to grow unhampered;
• The flowers of 'hagonoy' are airborne and may attach
to clothing, mixed in seeds materials, sucked in by
engines, through air currents and others;
• There is absence of herbivore or natural enemy on
'hagonoy' on its introduced range.;
• It spreads not only through seeds but by stem cuttings
and rhizomes.
• It is resilient and regrows after a fire
• Its allelopathic principles prevent growth of most weeds
within its immediate vicinity.
• The PCA-Davao Research Center in Bago-Oshiro,
Davao City maintain a mass rearing facility in support
of field releases.
Why control 'hagonoy'
Although some of uses may be derived from
‘hagonoy’, the advantages often outweigh the
disadvantages. It is said to be a herbal cure for some skin
infections and as a blood clotting agent on open wounds. It
also contain nitrogen for soil amelioration. Control of the
weed however hopes to achieve the following:
• To promote livestock integration under plantations
where hagonoy normally invade;
• To restore the carrying capacity of the field for
desirable weeds especially in ranches and range lands;
• To minimize labor for weed control;
Why biological Control Against “Hagonoy”?
Biological control is the utilization of organisms for
the regulation of host plant, insect, or animal population
densities.
Biological control against 'hagonoy' starts with
exploration of herbivores in the origin of the weed
particularly in South America where the weeds are kept at
non-significant levels by the herbivore. Then the natural
enemy is imported into the new host country, mass reared
and released to the wild to regulate host population by
feeding on the leaves, forming galls on stems, boring
through the stems and feeding on the seeds and roots.
These activities suppress weed growth and oftentimes
succumb to the pressure. Biological control is relatively a
long process but results are more permanent, less costly
and environment-friendly.
The Herbivore, Gall-Forming Fly Procecidochares
connexa
The PCA-Davao Research Center, after having
been granted a permit, imported the stem-galling fly,
Procecidochares connexa Macquart (Diptera : Tephritidae)
from Indonesia ACIAR project CS2 96/91 "Biological
Control of Chromolaena odorata in Indonesia, Papua New
Guinea and the Philippines". A series of host specificity
tests on ‘hagonoy’ and several other weed and tree species
were conducted under the supervision of the National
Biosafety Committee of the Philippines (NCBP) of the
Department of Science and Technology (DOST). A year of
testing showed that the gall fly was highly host specific to
‘hagonoy’. In a parallel project in Indonesia which
imported the flies in 1994 and release in 1995 the flies are
now widely among Chromolaena in several islands.
Effect of the Gall fly on ‘hagonoy’
The gall fly lays its eggs on practically all of the
growing tips of ‘hagonoy’. As much as 50 eggs are laid by
a single female throughout its short lifetime of 1 to 2 weeks.
In about 12 to 15 days the tips begin to swell as
manifestation of the activity of the maggots inside. The gall
attains a maximum of 9 by 13 mm in size and each
contains from 2 to 10 pupae. Two months after egg laying
the flies start to emerge. Egg –laying starts almost
immediately after mating. Death to ‘hagonoy’ is often as a
result of extreme pressure exerted by the fly where almost
all shoots develop galls. The final dried-up ‘hagonoy’ show
galls in every axil and in chains at tips.

CPD TECHNOGUIDE NO. 8
Series of 2003
A Healthy Chromolaena
odorata thicket
The gally fly adult male
(left), female (right)
A rich harvest of the galls for
fly emergence inside
laboratory
A portion of a ‘hagonoy’
stem which died of die back
due to gall pressure
PRIMER ON
BIOLOGICAL CONTROL OF
HAGONOY (Chromolaena
odorata)
An adult female laying egg
on host tip
Initial galling in 12 to 15days
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Call, write or visit:
The Crop Protection Division
Davao Research Center
Philippine Coconut Authority
Bago-Oshiro, Mintal
An enlarged gall containing
from 2 to 10 gall fly larvae
Pupae of the gall fly
Tugbok District, Davao City
Tel. No. (082) 293-0116
(082) 293-0119
Fax No. (082) 293-0571
E-mail : pca-cpd@mozcom.com
pca-asd@mozcom.com
Crop Protection Division
Davao Research Center
Agricultural Research &
Development Branch
Philippine Coconut Authority
Bago-Oshiro, Davao City